Overview: What components are necessary for a medical professional to make a diagnosis involving an operational stress injury, including post-traumatic stress, depression, and anxiety, along with suicide ideation.

Overview: Follow the Hero’s Journey through the eyes of lived first responder experience. Explore how your own Hero’s Journey can lead you from the abyss towards positive post-traumatic growth.

Topic 4: “Moral Injury – Follow the Path of the Hero’s Return”

Overview: Discussion around the necessary steps for restoring your spirit along the Hero’s Return from the abyss will be explored. Moral injury is “the pain that results from damage to a person’s moral foundation”. It is applicable to any First Responder or military type scenario. It is considered a new term but not a new concept.

Speaker: Bill Rusk, Badge of Life Canada, Director, B.A., Sgt.(ret.)

11:20 – 12:00 am – Topic 5: “Sanctuary Trauma & Perceived Injustice”

Overview: The little-recognized, yet profound, impact of perceived injustice (the sense that one has been harmed by another) and sanctuary trauma (the sense of betrayal when the institutions that are supposed to provide support fail to do so) and the impact upon the member. Dealing with the failure of “the system” can be devastating to the member, and sometimes even worse than the trauma of the original incident. Employers, WSIB, and long-term disability insurers can all have a positive role in helping the member to heal—but they can also keep the member disabled, even as they are trying to save money by getting the member into a return to work program.

Speaker – Dr. Ash Bender, is a staff psychiatrist and Deputy Clinical Director of the Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

10:45 – 11:15 am – Topic 4:

Overview: Dr. Mueller’s overall research goals are to investigate genetic causes of response and side effects to psychiatric medications. This line of research aims to significantly improve treatment of psychiatric conditions and to lessen the burden of medication side effects and to avoid negative drug-drug interactions.

11:15 – 11:25 am – Q & A

Joint session: Dr. Katy Kamkar, Dr. Ash Bender, Dr. Daniel Meuller

11:30 – 11:50 pm –Topic 5:

Overview: Moral injury is “the pain that results from damage to a person’s moral foundation” or an erosion of “a sense of goodness and humanity” that many officers involved in shootings experience. It is a new term but not a new concept.

Badge of Life Canada, National Advisor – Brad McKay, S/Sgt., York Regional Police Service (Ret)

11:50 – 12:00 pm – Q & A

Syd Gravel, Brad McKay

12:00 – 1:00 pm – Lunch

1:00 – 1:30 pm – Topic 6:

Overview: Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé will discuss his Office’s role affecting positive change in issues related to policing. He will highlight the Ombudsman’s recommendations spurring government change to help active and retired Ontario police officers in dealing with operational stress injury and PTSD, such as implementing training and education programs, collecting data on rates of operational stress injuries and incidents of work-related suicides, and addressing cultural issues and stigma. Mr. Dubé will also discuss his recent report, “A Matter of Life and Death,” and its recommendations aimed at providing Ontario police officers with better training and a broader skill set in order to better be able to de-escalate crisis situations and lessen the likelihood of fatal shootings which are traumatic to all involved and society as a whole.

Speaker: Paul Dube, Ontario Ombudsman

1:30 – 1:40 pm – Q & A

Paul Dube, Ontario Ombudsman, Dr. Katy Kamkar

1:45 – 2:30 pm – Topic 7:

Overview: The little-recognized, yet profound, impact of perceived injustice (the sense that one has been harmed by another) and sanctuary trauma (the sense of betrayal when the institutions that are supposed to provide support fail to do so) and the impact upon the member. Dealing with the failure of “the system” can be devastating to the member, and sometimes even worse than the trauma of the original incident. Employers, WSIB, and long-term disability insurers can all have a positive role in helping the member to heal—but they can also keep the member disabled, even as they are trying to save money by getting the member into a return to work program.

Overview: A clinical perspective of Medicinal Marijuana. What role does it play for First Responders suffering Operational Stress Injuries: Should it be considered an addiction or treatment tool?

3:40 – 3:50 pm – Q & A

Speakers: Dr. Tony George, Dr. Katy Kamkar

3:50 pm – Closing Remarks

4:00 pm “THANK YOU”

Conference AGENDA – SPEAKER PROFILES:

Welcome – Deputy Chief Tom Carrique, York Regional Police Service

Appointed to deputy chief of administration in 2011 and then deputy chief of operations in 2014, Deputy Chief Thomas Carrique began his York Regional Police career more than two decades earlier in 1990. He has worked in a plethora of roles across the organization, including Uniform Patrol, Criminal Investigations, Investigative Services, Traffic, Marine, Public Order and was seconded to the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services Criminal Intelligence Services Ontario.

Before joining the Executive Command Team as the deputy chief of administration, Deputy Chief Carrique served as superintendent of Staff Services. He also spent time as officer-in-charge of the Organized Crime Bureau, and as Special Investigation Unit liaison officer.

The Deputy Chief holds a certificate in terrorism studies from Scotland’s University of St. Andrews in Scotland and is a graduate of the National Policing Improvement Agency’s International Commanders Program and the United States Department of Justice Drug Unit Commanders Academy. He earned a masters degree in leadership and training, with a specialty in justice and public safety, from Royal Roads University. He also earned a Certified Municipal Manager III police executive designation and received a chartered management designation from the Chartered Management Institute in the United Kingdom.

A gold medalist at the Canadian Police Olympics, Deputy Chief Carrique serves as the co-chair of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police Organized Crime Committee, and he serves on the boards of directors at Seneca College and St. John Ambulance – York Region Branch.

He is the recipient of the Ontario Premier’s Award of Excellence for Fighting Crime, the Governor General’s Police Exemplary Service Medal and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Medal. In 2013, Deputy Chief Carrique was presented with the Member of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces medal by the Governor General of Canada, and on September 11, 2015, on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen, he was granted admission in the grade of Member in the Order of St. John by The Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General and Prior of the Priory of Canada.

Deputy Chief Carrique is an Ontario Police Advisor to the Board of Directors for Badge of Life Canada.

Brad McKay is a retired veteran with 33 years of service with the York Regional Police Service. Brad created the York Region Critical Incident Stress Management Team in 1996 where he holds a position as advisor to the executive and alumni team lead. Brad also created the York Regional Police Peer Support Team in 2014. Brad started the Operational Stress Injury Prevention and Response Unit for the York Regional Police. As a Certified Trauma Responder, Brad has responded to and coordinated hundreds of interventions for front line responders and their families. As a volunteer on 2 Peer Teams, Brad is a community minded energetic advocate for wellness and peer support. Brad is the Team Lead, for the Peer and Trauma Support Systems with the Mood Disorders Society of Canada.

Brad is a National Senior Police Advisor to the Board of Directors for Badge of Life Canada.

Topic 1: “The Hero’s Journey”

Bill is a Sergeant, and 30 year policing veteran, who has served in various policing capacities.

Bill holds two dubious policing distinctions:

(i) being the only modern day police officer in Canada, who has been shot in the line of duty, with no suspect ever being arrested/charged, or even identified;
(ii) being married to a police officer, who was involved in their own police shooting, who subsequently developed severe-chronic PTSD which lead to their own retirement from policing.

During his career, Bill has been recognized twice by two separate police agencies as “Police Officer of the Year”.

Bill is the recipient of the following policing achievements:

20-year Police Exemplary Service Medal

Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for commitment and service to policing field.

The Dennis R. Latten Award (PAO) for long standing leadership, dedication and excellence in policing.

During his career, Bill has been a strong advocate for recognition of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a “honourable workplace injury”. As a 15-year Association leader, Bill has participated in lobbying efforts for the introduction of “Presumptive Legislation” for all police personnel in Ontario, as well as the successful implementation of conducted energy weapons to all front-line police personnel in Ontario. Between 2008 – 2014, Bill took on additional responsibilities by serving as a Director on the Police Association of Ontario (PAO) where he represented all 33,000 police personnel across the entire Province.

During that period, Bill served as PAO Director on various organizations:(i) the Ontario Police Memorial Foundation (OPMF)(ii) the Conducted Energy Weapon working group(iii) a joint WSIB PTSD Working Group for the purposes of introducing “Presumptive Legislation”.

Bill hopes to raise the profile of Badge of Life Canada as the predominant organizational voice regarding operational stress injuries, including post-traumatic stress, and suicide prevention on behalf of all police (sworn/civilian) and correctional personnel across Canada who still suffer in silence.

Topic 2: “Mental Health, Occupational Stress Injuries and Resiliency”

Dr. Katy Kamkar, Ph.D., C. Psych., is a Clinical Psychologist at the Work, Stress and Health Program/Psychological Trauma Program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). Dr. Kamkar is an Assistant Professor within the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto. Dr. Kamkar is a member of the Advisory Board for Badge of Life Canada.

Dr. Kamkar provides evidence-based psychological assessment and treatment for Mood and Anxiety Disorders, Operational Stress Injuries (OSI) and Trauma and PTSD, grief reaction related to loss injury, pain, sleep related conditions and other conditions that may interfere with daily functioning as well as on psychological distress/stress/depression and anxiety in the workplace. Dr. Kamkar provides multidisciplinary education and consultation as well as talks/education/workshops to organizations regarding workplace mental health issues. One of Dr. Kamkar’s greatest interests is to provide education to the public to enhance public awareness of mental illness and mental health in the workplace, and to promote mental health and well-being. Dr. Kamkar has written numerous articles for various comprehensive public resources and has provided numerous Public Relations / TV Media Work, including launching mental health series, being a former Health Blogger for CTV Health News and currently a Mental Health Blogger for CP24 and CAMH.

Topic 3: “The Neurobiology of PTSD”

Dr. Bender is a staff psychiatrist and Deputy Clinical Director of the Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. He is Clinic Head of the Work, Stress and Health Program (WSH) and Psychological Trauma Program (PTP)—both multidisciplinary programs specializing in assessment, treatment and research of occupational disability.

Dr. Bender is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto and currently conducting clinical research involving the management of acute trauma in the workplace. He has conducted numerous assessments for Worker’s Compensation, private insurers, and the Criminal Courts and consulted to several organizations regarding workplace mental health issues. The credibility he has gained from being able to draw on the latest research on serious workplace mental health problems is a definite asset on our team.

Dr. Daniel Mueller is Head of the Pharmacogenetics Research Clinic at the Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute at CAMH, and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Mueller’s overarching goal is to improve drug treatment of psychiatric disorders. Pharmacogenetics holds the promise to identify gene variants that are associated with response and side effects. Once validated, this approach will allow for precision medicine avoiding long trial-and-error strategies before the right drug for the right patient is identified.

Dr. Mueller started his position at CAMH in 2008, where he began to assess patients’ CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 gene variants in order to optimize treatment with antidepressants and antipsychotic medication. This clinic is one of the first in psychiatry worldwide and the gene panel has since then been extended.

A particular focus of Dr. Mueller’s research is to target genetic markers that predict medication side effects such as antipsychotic-induced weight gain (AIWG). Dr. Mueller’s research has revealed significant associations between AIWG and, the cannabinoid-1 receptor (Tiwari et al., 2010) gene, the melanocortin-4-receptor (MC4R) gene (Chowdhury et al., 2013 and Malhotra et al., 2012), the dopamine D2 receptor gene (Müller et al., 2012), and the neurpeptide-Y gene (Tiwari et al., 2013). Dr. Mueller’s research group is developing an algorithm that will incorporate these genes along with clinical and demographic risk factors in order to develop a genetic risk model of AIWG for clinical application.

Dr. Mueller is member of the Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium, which is developing guidelines to use genetic information for psychiatric drug treatment.

Syd Gravel is a 31 year veteran and former Staff Sergeant of the Ottawa Police Service. As a result of his experience both as a 25 year survivor of PTSD and then 10 years as Staff Sergeant in charge of recruitment and training, Syd has observed some very interesting correlations between our recruiting and training practices and how these affect our employees’ and organizations’ ability to address trauma within the workplace. In 1988, Syd Gravel was one of the founding fathers of Robin’s Blue Circle, a post trauma team that assists officers work their way through the trauma of death or near-death work related incidents. In 2007, Syd was subsequently inducted as a Member of the Order Of Merit (M.O.M.) for his endeavours within policing.

Syd has been a keynote speaker at numerous conferences and a guest speaker at numerous colleges and universities. Syd has also lead workshops in developing peer support for First Nations’ police officers at their annual workshops at “Dialogue for Life” Conferences in Montreal, Quebec.

Syd is the author of “56 Seconds” and “How to Survive PTSD and Build Peer Support” both available at http://www.56secondsbook.com

Syd hopes to raise the profile of Badge of Life Canada as the predominant organizational voice regarding operational stress injuries, including post-traumatic stress, and suicide prevention on behalf of all police (sworn/civilian) and correctional personnel across Canada who still suffer in silence.

Brad McKay is a retired veteran with 33 years of service with the York Regional Police Service. Brad created the York Region Critical Incident Stress Management Team in 1996 where he holds a position as advisor to the executive and alumni team lead. Brad also created the York Regional Police Peer Support Team in 2014. Brad started the Operational Stress Injury Prevention and Response Unit for the York Regional Police. As a Certified Trauma Responder, Brad has responded to and coordinated hundreds of interventions for front line responders and their families. As a volunteer on 2 Peer Teams, Brad is a community minded energetic advocate for wellness and peer support. Brad is the Team Lead, for the Peer and Trauma Support Systems with the Mood Disorders Society of Canada.

Brad is a National Senior Police Advisor to the Board of Directors for Badge of Life Canada.

Topic 6: “Perceived Injustice and Sanctuary Trauma”

Dr. Jonathan Douglas is a clinical psychologist and partner with Central Ontario Psychology where he specializes in treatment for first responders and military veterans. Dr. Douglas is the Past-President of the Ontario Psychology Association (OPA).

Topic 7: “The Role of the Ontario Ombudsman within Mental Health and the First Responder World”

Paul Dubé

Ontario Ombudsman

Mr. Paul Dubé was sworn in as Ontario’s seventh Ombudsman on April 1, 2016. In May, he made a submission to the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services on its review of solitary confinement practices, urging it to abolish indefinite segregation of inmates.​ Since then, he has also released reports on two major systemic investigations, with a combined 82 recommendations – all of which were accepted. His June report, A Matter of Life and Death, called for police to be better trained in de-escalating conflict situations, and his August report, Nowhere to Turn, recommended reforms to services for adults with developmental disabilities who are in crisis.

Born in Calgary, Alberta, Mr. Dubé spent his adolescence in Dalhousie, New Brunswick, and received his Bachelor of Laws at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and his Juris Doctor degree in law at the University of Windsor. Mr. Dubé began his legal career in private practice in New Brunswick, specializing in criminal litigation and demonstrating an unwavering commitment to the protection of rights conferred by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the promotion of procedural fairness. As a result of work with Legal Aid New Brunswick, Mr. Dubé was a co-recipient of the Canadian Bar Association Pro Bono Award in 2003.

In 2008, Mr. Dubé was appointed federal Taxpayers’ Ombudsman and tasked with the creation of a new office to uphold the Taxpayer Bill of Rights. Mr. Dubé has also been actively involved in the ombudsman community, serving two terms as a member of the Board of Directors of the Forum of Canadian Ombudsman, where he contributed to discussions and decisions on a variety of issues, such as governance and continuing education.

Topic 8: “Marijuana: The Good, the Bad and the Challenging”

Dr. Tony George is Chief, Addictions Division at CAMH, and Professor of Psychiatry, University of Toronto. From 2008-2016, he was Chief of the Schizophrenia Division and Medical Director of the Complex Mental Illness Program at CAMH. His research focused on understanding the biological basis of addiction co-morbidity in serious mental illness. His research is supported by CIHR, NIH/NIDA and CFI, and has over 240 publications. He completed his undergraduate (1988) and medical school (1992) training at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, then completed psychiatry residency training (1992-96), and a fellowship in Neuropharmacology (1996-98) at Yale University School of Medicine, prior to joining the Yale faculty in 1998. He came to Toronto in late 2006, and was the inaugural holder of the Endowed Chair in Addiction Psychiatry at the University of Toronto (2006-2012).

Member of Parliament Pam Damoff press conference October 13, 2016 in Oakville, Ontario Canada announcing tabling of unanimous Report in House of Commons: “Healthy Minds, Safe Communities: Supporting Our Public Safety Officers Through A National Strategy For Operational Stress Injuries”